May 12, 2014

Beyond #BringBackOurGirls: Standing with Nigerians
Nigerian Schoolgirls Represent Aspirations of Nigerian People
By Nicole C. Lee

Nicole C. Lee (Right), former president of TransAfrica Forum, has long served as an advocate for African and African-American people. File photo.

News Analysis

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - It has been almost a month since the militant terrorist organization Boko Haram attacked the small town of Chibok in northeast Nigeria. They ransacked the town killing whoever they could, taking whatever loot and burning the rest. 

This was an all too familiar scene. In the last few years Boko Haram has terrorized the mostly unprotected countryside killing, looting and kidnapping. What made this attack different was the scale and magnitude of their final assault on Chibok.  While Boko Haram had kidnapped before they brazen abducted over 300 Nigerian girls from the Chibok Government Secondary School.  Posing as military personnel sent to protect the girls did not realize who the men were until it was too late.

Nigeria is a country full of promise and heartache. It is the largest economy on the African continent. Because of its vast oil reserves and other minerals, its people should live in prosperity and growth across all indices. Yet, the majority of Nigerians live on $2 per day.

Any discussion Nigeria’s present state of affairs leads to one word: complicated.  Nigeria’s democracy is new and its governments have always been plagued by accusations and instances of coercion or payoffs by multinational institutions for access to the country’s precious resources. While the Boko Haram insurgency is relatively new, the problems with governance of both the national and some local governments are not.  Amnesty International reported that last year 800 people died while being held in Nigerian government detention. Fighting between Boko Haram and the government has claimed the lives of civilians and there has been little done to restore victims’ homes, property, or livelihoods. Internal displacement is a growing problem that no one has wanted to discuss.

When parents found their daughters missing, they immediately reported it to the local police and authorities. Parents begged the police and military officials on sight to go with them to try and rescue the girls.  The government officials did worse than nothing.  Parents and concerned citizens were told not to embarrass Nigeria by going forward with the stories.

It was out of this reality that the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls was born. Their aims were humble: to force the Nigerian government to recognize the rights of the families to information and action.  For two weeks it was discussed on social media until the dam gave way and #BringBackOurGirls was being discussed from water coolers to car pools. With each retweet, many have embraced the girls as if they are our own.  So many parents have personalized it saying, “What would I do if it was my child?”

The #BringBackOurGirls movement began on the ground in Nigeria and spread its way across the world. This social media campaign has given the families a voice and platform but positive action must be taken offline in the real world.

From the US, there are ways we can help and there are ways we can hurt.  We help by retelling the story of the kidnapped girls and the bravery of their parents. We hurt when we pretend to be the heroes of the story like Ramaa Mosley did. The filmmaker from L.A. who bought the facebook page seemingly after seeing the hashtag, tried to make herself the story instead of uplifting the true heroes. 

Silly savior stories, where we make out to be those who “save Africans” are counterintuitive and infantilizing. We help by recognizing the dignity of these girls and their families and that we can help by amplifying their voices. We help by holding our own government accountable and keeping a watchful eye on increase U.S. role in the area. We hurt when we don’t engage with the reality of terrorism and Nigerian government’s limitations of will and capacity. We help when we stay engage, commit to being a part of the solution rather than losing interest when the next shiny thing comes along.

The people of Nigeria continue to call for a solution to the insecurity in Nigeria and the safe return of the girls.  Like Americans who led the U.S. anti-apartheid movement, we can stand with the Nigerian people in their calls for accountability and peace. The schoolgirls represent the aspirations of the Nigerian people. Let’s be in this for the long haul.

Nicole C. Lee is a human rights attorney and the immediate past president of TransAfrica.